Strum
by ahsatanseesnatasha
Summary: When Jericho moves in with the Titans after being repeatedly threatened by Slade, he unwillingly causes tension with a certain green Titan. BBxRaexJericho and RobxStar, rated for mild sexual content.
1. The More the Merrier

Jericho shyly observed his new home. He wasn't comfortable living in the Tower like this, imposing in on the Titans, but they insisted he stay with them until they were able to track Slade down. Slade had been targeting Jericho more than any other Titan lately--his mountain had almost been blown to pieces until the other Titans made him leave it. The fact that he really didn't want to talk about Slade didn't quite help the fact that he didn't want to impose, but they wouldn't let him refuse. The only reason he'd agreed to imposing on the Titans in the first place was so that his mountain wouldn't get destroyed.  
"Welcome to your new home, buddy!" yelled Beast Boy, his loud voice squeaky as always, leading Jericho over to the sofa and sitting him down. Jericho propped his guitar up in the floor, its neck being held up by the couch.

"Yeah man," said Cyborg, flopping next to Jericho, "Welcome to the Tower!"  
"Welcome, Friend Jericho!" yelled Starfire, who was floating around, a big smile on her face. "We are most pleased to have you in our lovely househome!" Jericho smiled back at her. It was nice to be around someone so cheery, even if she was mostly cheery because she didn't quite understand what was going on all of the time.

"You're welcome to stay as long as necessary," mumbled Robin half-heartedly. Jericho knew Robin wasn't bitter about having him there, he just always got a little darker whenever Slade made an appearance. Jericho could understand, but the subject still made him nervous.

"What he means," said Cyborg, giving Robin a momentary glare, "is that we're glad you're here."  
"Very, very, very glad!" said Starfire with glee. "The more is the happier, says Beast Boy!"  
"It's 'The more the merrier', Star," said Robin, giving her a slight smirk and allowing himself a couple seconds of light chuckling.

"More is merrier, more is merrier!" she called out, spinning a little in the sky. "Raven, are you not going to welcome our new friend?" Raven was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, reading a book. She peered over the top of it, gave Jericho a miniscule nod, then went back to reading.

"Don't mind her," said Cyborg. "She's just...Antisocial."

"She's really not so bad," said Beast Boy. He paused. "Well, when you get to know her..." Jericho nodded, trying to convey the words, "I'm sure." Beat Boy smiled, but looked a little confused. Jericho didn't get annoyed; he got this a lot. Not many people got his gestures. Beast Boy would figure it out soon. He was...Smart enough...Probably. "So!" Beast Boy yelled, "Sweet guitar!" He picked up the guitar and started playing it. Poorly. Jericho's eyes widened in horror. Very, very seldom did he ever let anyone touch his guitar. Jericho was usually very agreeable and easy to get along with, but when it came to his guitar...

Beast Boy--who was now singing a tune to go with his "song"--was cut off by Raven, who slammed her book down hard on his head.

"I am_ trying_ to read," she said quietly, her voice dripping with malice.

"Well, if you don't want people to talk, go in a different room!" he yelled back at her. She sighed angrily and walked off to her room.

"Really, she's not that bad once you get to know her..." said Cyborg, a little embarrassed. Robin got up from the couch and headed towards his room.

"Where are you going, Robin?" asked Starfire, stopping in the middle of her floaty glee.

"I'm going to start tracking Slade." Immediately, Jericho could feel his cheeks get redder. He sunk in the sofa, hoping people would pay attention to Robin instead of himself.

"Aw, come on!" said Beast Boy, "Don't spoil the fun already!" Robin kept walking silently. Starfire sighed sadly.

"Robin? Robin!" hollered Beast Boy, "C'mon, come back!" but he was already gone. "Oh well," said Beast Boy, who again picked up the guitar and started singing. Jericho silently sighed and put his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. He was not used to headaches.

Once the commotion calmed down—though it took quite a while for the Titans to go back to their normal routine—Jericho went down to the shore with his guitar. He sat on a rock, deciding it was the closest to a mountain he'd ever be in Jump City. He took out a pick and strummed the D string. He cringed at the sound of it—Beast Boy must have down some serious damage to his beloved guitar, because what should have been a perfectly tuned D was now an F, two whole steps above what it should have been. Silently sighing, he plucked the string and twisted the peg lightly. The F quickly descended to an E-flat, then down to a D.

But no, no—that was too sharp. Another twist of the peg—

Too flat! Another twist—

Almost there, just a little flat…And then with one pluck, he felt almost completely better about Beast Boy handling his guitar. A perfect D sounded clean in the moist air. Now onto G…

Jericho went through the same process with every string, each one sounding worse than the first, but each eventually sounding better than the next.


	2. The Guitar Massacre

In the tower, Robin grunted quietly in frustration. Slade was too good at this—he hadn't left a single trail, not one of the times he'd made an attack on Jericho. He hadn't even left any sign that suggested why he'd go after Jericho in the first place.

Jericho wasn't really anything special, Robin though bitterly. All he could do was posses people, and that was only if he had eye contact with them. Gizmo had stopped Jericho with a _paper bag_. And it wasn't like he had any secrets for Slade—not only was he a mute, he lived on a mountain in the middle of nowhere and there was never any reason for him to communicate with the Titans. It wasn't like they could play charades over the communicators.

Robin rubbed his temples. His headache was bursting through his head. There was no logical explanation to Slade attacking Jericho, unless it was just to make Robin mad, which was certainly working, however it wasn't at all like Slade to attack with no meaning.

"Robin?" said a voice from his door. Starfire's head was sheepishly poking through his doorway.

"What, Star?"

"Are you still troubled? Should I make you—"  
"No, please, don't cook me anything…"

"But I could prepare you the—"  
"No, really, it's okay." Starfire frowned.

"If you need anything, please do tell me, yes?"

"Okay, Star."  
"Please feel less bad, Robin."  
"I'll try, Star." She paused, then left. Robin went back to work, his headache growing. The fact that he could hear Jericho's guitar in the background helped a little—it was calming—but something about it annoyed Robin at the same time. It was probably just the fact that Robin was in a bad mood, but he didn't feel like accepting that right now.

Raven looked up in anger. Beast Boy must've gotten a hold of Jericho's guitar again. If he played another note—one single note—while she was reading, she would take the guitar and smash it. That would teach Beast Boy not to be so annoying, and it would teach Jericho not to give Beast Boy things he could use to be annoying.

_Bing_.

And there is was: the one note that took her over the edge. That guitar was about to be sawdust.

_Bing_.

She followed the out-of-tune note.

_Bing_.

Well, it wasn't coming from the living room—Beast Boy had it elsewhere.

_Bing_.

"Hey, Raven! Finish your book?" asked Beast Boy, who stopped playing his video game when she walked into his room. She slammed the door and began walking.

"What? Raven? Hello? Was it nice and depressing?" she could hear his muffled voice as she continued on. If Beast Boy didn't have it and it sounded this bad, it must be Cyborg.

_Bing_.

"What's up, Rae?" asked Cyborg, who had a screwdriver in his forearm, doing some touchup work. She grunted angrily and walked out of his room, too.

"Whatever," she could hear him mumble from inside.

_Bing_.

It was getting more out of tune with every pluck, and with every pluck its tone would change. That's what made it really annoying, the changes in pitch. It almost sounded like it was coming from outside…

_Bing_.

As Raven walked down the stairs, she could hear the tone get louder and louder. She was getting close; she cracked her knuckles in preparation for the massacre.

_Bing_.

Raven opened the door—

_Bing_.

This time, the note was beautiful, perfectly in tune. It was Jericho. He looked relieved for a second, but then started plucking the next string.

_Bing_.

This one, if possible, was even more out of tune than the first note. Jericho gave a silent distraught sigh, then started messing with the pegs at the top of the guitar, plucking the string which caused the note to go in and out of tune.

He was tuning it.

Raven immediately felt bad for thinking about smashing the guitar. It was only annoying because Beast Boy had to go and screw it up. Jericho was just trying to make it better. And to think, if she would've smashed it, Jericho would have been in the same state as the guitar.

As he got that string in tune, he smiled, but then got back to work. Raven sighed, went back upstairs, and started reading again, trying not to listen to the guitar.


	3. Make the Note Matter

Jericho woke early the next morning with a silent yawn. He was sleeping on the couch, which was much more comfortable than the rocky terrain he was used to. All the titans had offered him their rooms ("You will take my bed and that is the final!" yelled Starfire), but he turned them down. If he could sleep on a mountain, he would be just fine on a nice couch.

Jericho tried to be as quiet as he could as he looked for tea in the kitchen. The only kind he could find was a box of Earl Grey stashed in the back of a cabinet, looking awfully neglected. Jericho didn't particularly like Earl Grey, but it would do. As he boiled himself some water, he heard a noise coming from outside. He went closer to the door and pressed his ear up against it.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

So Raven woke early like he did. Of course, this meant that he wouldn't be able to play his guitar, which was always his favorite way to start the day.

Jericho silently gasped as the kettle started to whistle. He quickly took it off the stove to silence it before it woke the other titans up. He poured the water into a mug, and then put the tea in. He waited for several minutes so it could steep, then started drinking.

This Earl Grey was even worse than every other Earl Grey he'd ever had. The peppery taste almost made him cough, his eyes watering as he poured the noxious drink down the sink. If only he could just play his guitar, he might feel less awful about this morning.

Jericho decided that he would just go to the shore on the bottom of the T Tower to play his guitar. Raven might hear him, but he really needed it by now.

Lightly as he could, Jericho strummed all of the strings at once. The lower E was flat—it always was temperamental, and the salty, humid air wasn't helping—and the B was just a little sharp. Tenderly, he tuned the guitar, always being as quiet as possible. When he was done tuning, he quietly started strumming a classical piece, one that was meant to be quiet. He could hear Raven chanting from where he was sitting (a large rock right in front of the water). "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

He smiled, glad she had the self-discipline to wake up so early every day and meditate. How diligent of her. He continued plucking the strings mildly.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

A shift of the hand to make the key minor now…

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Holy out that note, exaggerate it, make it important…

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

And this one, accent it, make it even more important.

Silence.

Oops—he'd made that one a little too important. It still echoed a little through the thick air. Jericho quickly put his hand on top of the strings to silence them. He waited, but heard nothing. His eyes widened; he must have really disturbed her. He got carried away—the accent on the note was only supposed to make it stand out—he shouldn't even be playing this early in the morning in the first place—he probably just ruined her entire morning—he needed to remember he wasn't alone in the middle of nowhere anymore, he was living with a group of people—how inconsiderate—

"You're up early," mumbled a voice from the door to the T Tower. Jericho flinched, nearly falling off the rock and into the sea.

"Sorry for, um…Scaring you," she said quietly. Jericho shook his hand in the air, signaling that it was fine.

"Do you always get up so early?" she asked darkly. Jericho nodded and pointed to his guitar, then to himself, then drew his hand across his throat.

"No—you—you don't have to stop. I was actually wondering if…You…Would like to play while I meditated. I mean, because we're both up." Jericho was startled, but happy. He smiled widely and nodded enthusiastically. She sat down next to him, and started chanting as he played.

A B, an E, F sharp, fermata, and now pianissimo, a D…

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Make that note matter more.


	4. Sleeping Robin, Awake Star

Robin was lying in his bed, his hands entwined and rested on his stomach. It was the exact position he'd been in ever since he'd left the living room last night. His thought process had now completely subsided. The only thing running through his mind was a slight buzzing noise that was probably trying to inform him that he really needed some sleep.

He wanted to sleep. Really, he did. But his mind had kept rummaging through its storage to see if there had ever been any connection between Slade and Jericho before. There had to be _something_. Slade wouldn't just attack Jericho for nothing. There had to be some reason—Robin just kept searching and searching, not willing to accept the fact that he couldn't find a reason.

But by now the reason he wasn't sleeping is because he knew if he did fall asleep, he'd keep sleeping well past a suitable time for waking up, and he needed to be awake in case Slade tried to attack the mountain again.

He heard Raven get up early in the morning, then Jericho. He passed the time by testing his ears to see if he could hear what Jericho was playing and Raven's chant, though he could only hear it every couple of minutes.

About an hour later, Robin got a knock on his door. He sighed, not feeling like opening it.

"Robin?" asked Starfire quietly from behind the door, "Are you asleep?"

"Yes," he said back to her.

"Oh, then I apologize for trying to awaken you." Robin couldn't help chuckling a little.

" No problem, Star."

"Sleep well, Robin."

"Thanks, Star."

"Please do talk to me when you are no longer sleeping?"

"Sure thing, Star."

"Thank you, Sleeping Robin."

"You're welcome, Awake Star." He could hear her light footsteps leave his door. It was cruel to play jokes on her like that, but it was entertaining and he didn't feel like getting up just yet.

Two hours or so later, in his room Beast Boy yawned loudly and stretched his arms. He ran a hand through his hair, got dressed, and walked out to the kitchen. Cyborg was already awake, taking a screwdriver to his forearm. Robin and Starfire were sitting on the couch. Robin looked distant (as usual) while Starfire was trying her hardest to comfort him in any way possible (as usual). Beat Boy got out some excessively-sugary cereal and soymilk.

"Where are Raven and Jericho?" Beast Boy asked through a full mouth.

"Outside," said Cyborg, closing the little door on his wrist. "They've been out there since before Robin got up. It's been, like, three hours." Beat Boy gave him a confused look, and then abandoned his cereal to go onto the roof. He could see and hear them clearly from up here.

Raven was actually letting Jericho play his guitar while she meditated.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Some perfect set of notes. Beast Boy tried to act like he wasn't hurt—sure, if he could play guitar as well as Jericho, he'd probably be able to be with her while she meditated—but he couldn't help remembering the times when all he wanted to do was chant and meditate with her and she bitterly refused.

Beast Boy bit his lip, went inside, and put the remaining cereal down the disposal. He wasn't in the mood for breakfast today.


	5. The Scar

Jericho wiped the sweat off his forehead. When did it get so hot out? He put his guitar down and observed his surroundings: it wasn't a foggy morning anymore, but a clear (blistering hot) afternoon. Had they really been out here so long? He looked to Raven who had stopped chanting and opened one eye.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, her deep voice a little hoarse from the constant chanting. Jericho pointed up at the sun, and then to his wrist, to indicate a watch.

"Wow. We have been out here a long time. I guess we'd better go back inside." Jericho nodded, collected his guitar, and they walked back into the T Tower.

"Good morning, friends!" said Starfire, a little sadly. She was still at Robin's side. "How was your morning chanting and guitar playing?"

"It was…Nice," Raven said, as if the word tasted foul. Jericho nodded happily.

"I am glad," said Starfire quietly. Robin appeared to have fallen asleep. Starfire sighed and laid him out across the couch, getting a blanket from her room and laying it across him. She's too nice for her own good, Jericho thought.

"So," said a high voice from behind Jericho, "Raven let you play guitar while she meditated?" Jericho nodded. "Hm," Beast Boy concluded.

"Quite a compliment!" said Cyborg, who was eating a large sandwich. "Raven usually never lets anyone be in a three-mile radius of her in the mornings!" He laughed, but nobody else did. He didn't seem to care, and just kept laughing. Jericho smiled at him, sitting at the opposite side of the couch of Robin, making sure his guitar was propped up on the couch so it wouldn't fall and get out of tune again.

"So, Jericho, is you don't mind my asking," Beast Boy said with a false politeness, "how come you can't talk?"

"Woah! Beast Boy, lay off him. That's not your business," Cyborg said, but Jericho held up a hand to signify that it was okay. He raised his hand to his high turtleneck collar and pulled it down. There was a large scar across his throat. Beast Boy was taken aback—he hadn't expected that, and now he felt a little ashamed for asking.

Raven looked at the scar in awe. Should she…Apologize? Say she was sorry about it? Well, that just seemed so stupid—she didn't give him the scar. Should she inquire about it? Ask how he got it? Ask who gave it to him? It wasn't her business. She wound up just standing there, looking at his neck with nothing to say. She'd never felt so dumb before. She didn't like it at all, and didn't understand it. It was just a scar, but for some reason seeing it across his throat made her feel like she was going to…_Cry_. Disgusted with herself, she went to her room and buried herself in her book. This book was good—a gory tale about malice and revenge—but the vision of Jericho's scar kept corrupting her gruesome images; she didn't see the characters being tortured, but Jericho, and it was making her nauseas. She'd seen all of her other friends injured before—probably worse than his scar—but for some reason this affected her much more than she could comprehend.


	6. Night

Later in the night, when Raven's book was getting absolutely unbearable, she found her legs taking her to the living room. Everyone was asleep by now (Robin had woken up halfway through the day and angrily retreated to his room again), so the only one in the living room would be Jericho, and he was probably asleep, too. Still her feet were taking her there. Sure enough, Jericho was sleeping deeply, curled up on the edge of the couch. Her feet took her toward him. Her hand extended itself out to him, then shook him gently. Slowly, Jericho opened his doe eyes and sat up curiously. He tilted his head to the side, confused at why she was here, and at this hour.

"I…" mumbled Raven, unsure of what to say and why she was even there, "I'm sorry about…I mean…I…You…" She sighed, then tried to start over. "I'm sorry about your scar, and I'm…Sure you didn't deserve it." Jericho stared at her. Did Raven—the Raven that everyone knew for a fact was cold, antisocial, and almost completely jaded—just…Reach out to him? Jericho was touched; he hugged Raven tightly, who seemed as shocked by this gesture as he was of hers. Awkwardly, she patted his shoulder.

"Um…Night," she said, blushing a little as their embrace ended. She walked back to her room, still completely confused at what had just happened.

It was Starfire's turn to have a sleepless night this time. She sighed in dismay; why was Robin being so cruel to her? He always got distant when Slade was turning up, but never this much. He wouldn't even hold her hand lately. Even though she knew it was silly, Starfire couldn't help wondering if maybe she had done something to upset him. Maybe if she just made him some ceremonial Glorkblach he'd feel better—but sadly, none of her friends seemed to enjoy her traditional Tamaranian recipes. She just wanted him to be happy—she hated seeing her friends unhappy, especially him. Starfire rolled around in her bed the whole night, trying to find a comfortable position and shake her despondent thoughts. At this rate, she wouldn't even be able to fly tomorrow.

Raven's night, however, was going much differently. She often stayed up all night reading and laid low during the day, but for the first time in at least a year, she hit her bed and fell into a deep sleep. When she awoke the next morning, she felt completely rejuvenated.

The next morning brought another first for Raven. When she woke up, she heard a spoon clinking against a bowl in the kitchen and figured it was Jericho, but instead it was a very pale green Beast Boy whose eyes were absent as he shoveled the cereal into his mouth, his spoon missing half of the time. Raven looked at him in shock. It took him almost a minute until he realized she was there.

"Oh," he murmured, his voice gravely, "g'morning, Raven."

"What…Happened?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you…Up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"I can tell. Where's Jericho?" Beast Boy paused, staring at her with some weird stare Raven didn't understand.

"Outside, with that guitar."

"…Thanks."

"Whatever." Raven left the kitchen and walked outside to Jericho. This time he must have heard her coming and stopped playing for a second to look up at Raven and smile at her.

"Do you mind if I—'' Jericho gestured for her to sit by him, which she did, and started chanting.

Inside, Beat Boy sighed and threw out his cereal again. There was no way he could enjoy that sugary goodness while he could hear those two.

The alarm was what woke up Cyborg, and Robin and made Starfire get up from her bed. They all dressed as quickly as possible and assembled.

"It's Mumbo," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Why does he even keep trying?" asked Cyborg.

"I don't know, but we have to go stop him."

"Please, that man would probably stop himself some how!"

"Titans, go!" Robin yelled, cutting Cyborg off.


	7. No Excuses

When the Titans got to Jump City, Mumbo was already trying to escape on the bridge. He was leaving behind him a trail of rabbits, multi-colored handkerchiefs and exploding bouquets, laughing wildly. The Titans didn't even grant him any banter, they just started fighting.

Cyborg nearly got him with a laser, but it just barely touched the tips of his hair; Beast Boy had shifted to a cheetah and was trying to hunt him down; Robin was throwing every gadget imaginable haphazardly in the direction Mumbo seemed to be going; nobody seemed to notice all Starfire was doing was tripping around awkwardly on her feet. Raven and Jericho, however, were doing quite well. After only five minutes of chaos from the other Titans, Raven got aim at Mumbo and held him down with her mind. She transported Jericho right in front of him. Jericho looked Mumbo in the eyes, and took possession of his body.

Everyone watched in awe, seeing how easily Jericho took Mumbo's body and lead it directly to the police station, which wasn't even close. Never once did he struggle with Mumbo's mind trying to take over. Jericho then let the police take Mumbo in, transporting himself back to his body.

"Booyah!" exclaimed Cyborg, excitedly giving Jericho a painful-sounding high five.

"Good job, Jericho," said Robin. "You too, Raven."

"Thanks," said Raven quietly. Beast Boy didn't fail to notice that she actually flashed what must have been a smile at Jericho, who returned it with emphasis.

"Yes, friends!" said Starfire, who look absolutely tuckered out, "You did most wonderfully!" They could hear her excitement, but only if they really listened. Beast Boy has stationed himself on the edge of the bridge, looking off of it. A good way into the celebration, Starfire joined Beast Boy, tiredly sitting down next to him.

"What is the matter with you, Friend Beast Boy?"

"It's nothing Star." He sighed. "What's up with you?"

"It is nothing, Beast Boy." Starfire jumped; there was a strange rumbling noise coming from under the bridge. The Titans all went to the edge of the bridge: Mumbo had managed to escape, and was in the water on an archaic-looking speedboat.

"Nice try, Titans!" he said, cackling.

"Beast Boy!" said Robin, "Shift to a dolphin and chase him!" Beast boy sighed.

"I'm on it."

"Star!" continued Robin. She looked at him nervously, "Fly above him and see if you can herd him onto a shore."

"But—''

"Please, Star, he's getting away!" Starfire stood up and looking off the edge of the bridge, scared. Robin didn't notice her delay; he turned and gave the others instructions.

"Cyborg, she if you can locate where he could be heading, just in case! If he comes your way, fire!"

"You got it!"

"Raven, you and Jericho levitate behind Starfire!" Jericho looked confused at the order and pointed towards Starfire.

"Star!" Robin yelled angrily. "I told you to go chase Mumbo!"

"But, Robin—''

"No excuses! Go!" Starfire took a deep breath in, and jumped off the side of the bridge. In a second, her scream filed the air. She wasn't flying—she was falling.


	8. The Current

"Star!" yelled Robin.

_Splash._

He ran over to the edge of the bridge, leaning over it to see where she was. Raven leaned forward, waiting with a look of shock in her eyes. Jericho simply looked shocked. Cyborg ran over and joined Robin, looking for her.

"She's not coming up!" he yelled to Raven and Jericho.

"Beast Boy!" yelled Robin frantically, but to no avail. He was still under water, trying to catch up with Mumbo who was now laughing even louder. "Beast Boy!" Robin was now panting and sweating. Cyborg stared at him in awe.

"Hey!" Cyborg yelled. "I see Star!"

"Starfire!" Robin yelled. Unexpectedly, Robin jumped into the water.

"Robin, what are you doing?" yelled Cyborg. Raven and Jericho were frozen, except for the fact that Raven had thrust her hand into Jericho's for comfort, and was now nearly crushing it.

"Raven, Jericho! Robin doesn't look like he can swim through the current!" Cyborg yelled, "We've gotta help them! I—I'm made of metal, I don't know what to do!"

"But h-how can we help?" stuttered Raven. "I can't—I can't swim!"

"Can't you levitate them?"

"I'll try," she said, and ran to the side of the bridge. She saw them, but couldn't quite get a grasp on them. "They—they're moving too quickly!"

"Jericho, what about you? Can you do anything?" Jericho took a deep breath in and nodded abruptly. He, like Robin, jumped into the water—however he (unlike Robin) got a hold of Robin's grappling hook and tried his hardest to aim for the bridge, but missed; luckily, Raven held it, then Cyborg connected it to the bridge's metal side. The three were pulled up to the bridge, all panting except Starfire. After a few seconds of Robin performing CPR, she started to breathe again.

"Starfire, why couldn't you fly? You nearly killed yourself, along with me _and_ Jericho!" Starfire looked at him, and her eyes got water. She stood up and sat down where she had been sitting before, sniffling and trying not to cry. Robin growled in anger and began pacing.

A much-too-pale green hawk flew above; Beast Boy shakily landed with the other Titans.

"I couldn't get Mumbo—he got away. Where _were_ all of you?" he asked angrily. Raven pointed to the group of wet Titans, glaring. "Woah," said Beast Boy, his eyes wide. "What happened?"

"Well, Starfire here," said Robin, still furiously pacing, "forgot to inform the rest of us that she has lost her abilities to fly!"

"Oh, Star!" said Beast Boy, going to sit over by her.

"She nearly got two of us and herself killed!"

"Stop being so harsh, man! Obviously something's wrong!"

"You're only saying that so it can be an excuse for you screwing up, too!"

"What?" Beast Boy yelled, standing back up and marching over to Robin. The Titans all stared in shock. They'd seen Robin mad before, but never like this, and they'd _definitely_ never seen Beast Boy this angry or Starfire this depressed.

"Well all saw you stumbling around like some sort of clumsy idiot! You changed into a cheetah for speed, but your tripping made you slower than a sloth! Not to mention when Starfire fell into the water, you were still trying to chase Mumbo, even though I called out to you!"

"I was obeying your orders—and I couldn't hear you, I was _under water_!"

"That's no excuse!"

"How is that no excuse?"

"You know what? I'm leaving. I don't know when I'll be back!"

"Good!"

"Fine!"

"Then leave!"

"I'm leaving!" And with that, Robin hopped on his motorcycle (which he'd used to get to the bridge), and put on his helmet.

"I'm so disappointed in all of you. Jericho's the only one in this team who knows how to fight crime anymore, and he's spent his whole life away from crime on a mountain!"

"Robin, wait!" cried out Starfire as he left, but it was too late. Now there was nothing to stop the tears.

"Well," said Cyborg darkly, "at least he doesn't hate _all_ of us. Right?" Nobody answered. "Right?"

Raven slumped to the ground. This was way, way too much for her to handle all in one day. Nobody except her even seemed to notice Mumbo had gotten away. The citizens of Jump City surely wouldn't appreciate that. She jumped—a hand was held out in front of her face. Jericho was offering her help up; he looked tired and she was sure he just wanted to go home. She could sympathize. When she was standing, he hugged her tightly, then grabbed her hand and led her back to the tower. Raven felt strangely comforted by the gesture. Beast Boy's reaction to it, however, wasn't quite the same.

When they all woke up the next morning, Starfire was curled up on her bed and refused to come out of her room, Jericho was actually _in_ Raven's room, and Beast Boy almost looked albino. Robin was nowhere in sight.


	9. Veggie Burger

Cyborg put his hand on the plate. On top of said plate he had placed a large, thick veggie burger, topped with vegan cheese, ketchup, and mustard. To its side was the largest stack of fried even Cyborg had ever seen on one plate. Slowly, Cyborg moved the plate in front of Beast Boy who was sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Eat," Cyborg said sternly.

"I'm not hungry."

"Do you know how long it took me to figure out how to make one of these things?"

"I guess you wasted your time."

"Beast Boy, I _know_ you haven't been eating."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't know why you're not eating, though. I think it's _stupid_. Because we both know that she won't stop paying attention to him if you just stop eating. She doesn't care if you don't eat, and I'm totally sure that it's not your gluttony is what's making her pay attention to him and not you." Beast Boy looked at Cyborg angrily.

"You don't know what you're—'' But he was cut off by the sound of a loud vehicle driving up to the T Tower. Robin was home. Beat boy took a fry and shoved it in his mouth.

"Happy?" he said, and got up from the table, walking angrily back to his room. On the way, he knocked on Raven's door. She probably didn't want to hear it from him, but she had a right to know Robin was home. A few seconds after he knocked, it was opened.

"Raven, Rob—oh. Jericho…Hey." Beast Boy sighed.

"What?" asked Raven from far behind him. She was sitting on her bed and a book open next to her.

"Robin's back."

"Oh." Jericho nodded, smiling. Beast Boy walked away as Jericho closed the door. First she let him meditate with her, now he was in her room and she was fine with it. I might as well just never talk again, thought Beast Boy. It's not like she thinks I'm funny anyway.

When Robin walked in, the only thing he said was, "Where's Starfire?" Cyborg pointed toward her room, and Robin continued walking, after setting his helmet on the table.

"But—don't—'' Cyborg tried to object, but just stopped. There was nothing stopping him now. Robin's heavy footsteps filled the seemingly-silent halls like thunder. He pounded on Star's door forcefully. She was inside, he knew it, but she didn't say anything. Again, he pounded on the door, and again.

"Please go away!" said a weak voice from inside, but Robin opened the door.


	10. Robin's Return

"I said to please go away!" Starfire said sadly.

"No," said Robin. His voice was quiet, but forceful. Starfire didn't say anything, but she didn't sit up from her bed, either.

"What is it that you want?" she said after a pause.

"To talk to you."

"I know you angry with me and I am sorry. I should have told you." Robin didn't say anything for a very long time.

"I…I don't know…How to make you happy."

"Huh?" said Starfire, now sitting up.

"I don't know how to make you happy."

"But Robin—''

"Because I'm not used to having to be there for people, Star. I was never there for anyone—except Bruce, and ever since I joined the Titans…Well, it's been a while. And I don't know how to make you happy. I don't even know how to make you not miserable. And it kills me—it _kills_ me to know that you almost died because of me."

"Robin—''

"No, let me finish. Star, you shouldn't have to be with someone who makes you this miserable."

"But…But Robin…I do not _have_ to be with anyone, but I have _chosen_ to be with you!"

"I don't want you to be in this relationship—it isn't even good enough to call it a relationship, I haven't even really kissed you since Tokyo—if it's going to hurt you."

"Robin, it is not hurting me!"

"Yes, it is! And if not always—we have some good moments, I know, _believe_ me, I know—then it's still most of the time! Every time Slade does something, you know how I get, and you shouldn't have to deal with my problems anymore."

"But the problems you are having are mine too, Robin!"

"No they're—''

"Yes, they are! If you are unhappy, I will always be unhappy, if we are in a relationship or not!" Robin stared at her.

"But then how could I ever make you happy?"

"By being happy!"

"But what if Slade is attacking again?"

"Then…Then you will stop being sad because you will not have to be there for me because I shall be there for you! You do not need to carry all of your sadness, you can talk to me instead! And it will not make me unhappy because you will be showing me that you care about me enough to tell me why you are so angry!"

"…Of course I care about you enough to tell you, Star, and I would—I just thought—I—I'm not good at...This whole…Emotions thing."

"You do not have to be good at the 'emotions thing'," said Starfire, "because I can be good at it for you."

"But—''

"No!" said Starfire loudly. She got up from the bed and hugged him tightly. "No more 'buts', because I will be the saddest if you will not accept my help!"

"I just don't want to keep hurting you."

"If you let me help you, you will not."

"But—''

"No."

"But what if—''

"_No_."

"Thanks, Star…" he said, and kissed her: their first _real_ kiss since Tokyo.

"Now please, Robin," she said, breaking away, "if you do not apologize to Beast Boy, there will be…Much awkwardness in the house."


	11. Serenade

Beast Boy really didn't feel like opening his bedroom door, and especially not to Robin. It didn't matter, though; Robin just walked in anyway.

"What?" asked Beast Boy monotonely.

"I came to say…I'm sorry."

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"Okay."

"That's it."

"What else do you want?"

"I don't know…It's just…I mean…I was…Really horrible to you."

"Yeah, but now I forgive you, so, like, whatever, okay? Can you just…Leave now?"

"What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"Beast Boy, that is such a lie."

"Please just leave me alone."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong with you."

"Okay. Nothing."

"Beast Boy, you're practically white."

"So what? I haven't been out in the sun."

"And you've barely been eating."

"I just don't have an appetite. I think I'm getting the flu."

"Beast Boy, you're _not_ getting the flu."

"Okay, Doctor. Great. I'm so glad. Can you go now?"

"No—tell me what's wrong!"

"Nothing is wrong."

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why are _you_? Now get out of my room!" Robin grunted in anger and immediately walked back to Starfire's room for some consolation. Once he was gone, he heard someone leave another room. Footsteps made their way to the living room, and Beast Boy could hear Jericho pick up his guitar and start to tune it. Beast Boy got up from his bed and went to Raven's door. He knocked twice; Raven's voice told him to come in. He opened the door and walked in silently. Her back was to him as she searched through an intimidatingly large bookcase.

"Are you already done tuning?" she asked. "That was quick." Beast Boy remained silent.

"I'll be right over—I have a book I know you'll love. You can start playing, I'm listening. I'm still sort of…Shocked…That you'd write me a song, though. I don't think anyone's ever been so—here it is—so nice to me. It's just good to finally have someone to talk to—sorry. You know what I me—Beast Boy!" She'd turned around, and she didn't look happy. "_What_ are you doing in here?" she asked venomously, her eyes flaring red. He looked up at her sadly.

"Why don't you let me meditate with you?"

"Out! Get out!"

"Why not, Raven, huh? Why is it only him? And why is he the only one who's allowed in here?"

"_Get out of my room!_"

"Fine!" Beast Boy stormed out of the room, glaring at Jericho who had been heading towards Raven's room.

"Go on! Go—go _serenade_ her or whatever it is you plan to do!" Jericho looked baffled and frightened and Beast Boy raged back to his room. He could hear, as he marched, Raven's voice say something in the background:

"I'm _so_ sorry about him. He's just annoying. You get used to it."

Jericho's song was beautiful. It was like he knew exactly what Raven…_sounded_ like. Raven couldn't explain it, but she felt like he was playing who she was. She couldn't even think of any way to word her gratitude, so, instead, she kissed him. His doe-eyes looked (if possible) even more shocked than usual, but he didn't resist. She kissed him again, and this time he kissed back. As they kissed, he slowly maneuvered the guitar to the floor. Raven ran her hand through his light hair; Jericho held her face in his hand. They continued to kiss. Raven laid on her back and Jericho kneeled over her. He took off her cape, and cupped her breast in his hand. Slowly, she removed his vest, then his shirt. He looked at her with concern, as if asking if she was sure she wanted to do this; she replied by kissing him again. He awkwardly maneuvered off her leotard, and she pulled of his pants, more sure of this than most things she'd ever done before.


	12. Beast Boy's Accusation

It was another morning when the Titans were awakened by the alarm. It was probably only one in the morning when it rang. Raven hurriedly shoved her clothes back, and Jericho (who was blushing profusely)—the two arrived late, and this didn't pass Beast Boy. He would have lurched forward if Cyborg hadn't grabbed a tight, painful hold on his shoulder. He shot an icy, hateful glare at him, but Cyborg looked almost paternal to Beast Boy in his gaze.

"It's Slade," Robin said darkly. "He bombed the bridge."

"He _what_?!" yelled Cyborg. "Well, c'mon, let's go kick some bad guy butt!"

"It's no use, Cyborg. He just bombed and left. It looks like he planted the explosive a while ago, too—he was just waiting."

" For _what_?"

"I don't know."

"Well, we have to go see if there are any others!"

"Cyborg, if we never found that one we won't find any others."

"Then what do we do?"

"We go back to bed."

"We _what_? Hell no! I wanna go fight the bad guy! We're superheroes! _Superheroes!_"

"Cyborg, there's nothing we can do but wait."

"Fine! But don't blame me when the T Tower is blown up." The group disassembled and went back to their rooms, Jericho hesitantly deciding that it would probably look better if he went back to the living room instead of Raven's room. She would understand.

And so would Beast Boy—but Jericho wasn't expecting that. Beast Boy hid in his room until he was sure everyone was asleep, then left. He walked as quietly as he could past all the doors.

"You know, sleeping back here isn't really covering anything up," he said, standing before where Jericho was "sleeping" (it was obvious he was really just lying there.) Jericho opened one large eye, sighed silently, then sat up. He held his head low, trying not to show he was blushing.

"It's pretty obvious that you and Raven…" He cut himself off, then continued. "So, pretty much, I kind of feel like killing you a little, but I really don't think you're worth the effort." Jericho looked shocked.

"Don't you give me that look! You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about! You know that I—have—_feelings_ for her! And I think I might even love her, okay? So then you come along, and—poof!—she hates me even more than usual! You had to come here and ruin everything! Now you and Raven—so she'd never even look at me again—and then you saved Star and I didn't even though I was right there, so now everyone thinks you're better hero than I am!

"And don't think I didn't notice the fact that Slade's targeting you for a reason, because I do. I know you know something about Slade that the rest of us don't know. When I figure it out and tell Robin, though, I promise they won't be seeing you as such a big hero any more. Raven might still hate me, but at least nobody else will. So got it, _buddy_?" Jericho stared at Beast Boy studiously.

And then, Jericho locked eyes with Beast Boy and took possession of him.


	13. Possession

A knock came at Raven's door. Finally, she thought. "Jericho?" The door opened, but it was Beast Boy.

"I thought I told you to _stay out of my room_!"

"Please, Raven, just hear me out."

"_What_?"

"Will you promise to let me say everything I have to say before you say anything?"

"Well," she said, grinding her teeth, "that depends on how long you take."

"It won't be long."

"Then _fine_, but _hurry up_."

"I can't see you and Jericho together."

"You _what_?!"

"I can't see you and Jericho together. It's tearing me apart to see you with him. I haven't slept or ate or actually fought in days. Can't you see how much this has been affecting me?"

Affecting? Since when did Beast Boy know words over one syllable? "Beast Boy, what are you _talking_ about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that I have feelings for you, and I've had feelings for you ever since we've been on this team together. And I hope that maybe, if you really search hard, you can find some feelings for me, too. And maybe your only feelings for me are friendship, and I'm fine with that."

"Beast Boy, you _must _be jo—''

"Please just let me finish. Jericho isn't going to be around forever—he's just not. He lives on a mountain, and he loves it. No matter who's here, he wouldn't give that up. And you know you can't go with him. Your home is here, with us, and we need you. Not just me—all of us. You're a part of us now and you always will be.

"There. I'm done. But—don't say anything yet. Just wait for a while, okay?"

"I—''

"Goodnight, Raven." Beast Boy left Raven stumped and more tired than before.

Jericho walked Beast Boy's body back to his room and searched for some clean paper. He found a random notebook with cartoony drawings in it and opened it to a blank page. He picked up what seemed to be a pen that had exploded and started writing.

When Jericho finished his letters, he laid Beast Boy's body down in his bed and waited until it felt tired enough for Beast Boy to fall asleep. Then he transported back to his body, took a couple seconds to say goodbye to the tower, and left.


	14. Resolution

_Beast Boy,_

_I'm truly sorry to say that I never got to know you better as a friend, an ally. I respect your passion and drive more than you could ever imagine—of course, these could make you despise me even more once you wake up and read this letter._

_Last night, I took possession of your body. It was a horrible thing to do, but if you truly mean loving Raven, it had to be done. So I took possession of your body, and then I—as you—told Raven that I had feelings for her, and that I hoped she returned, even if the feelings were only for friendship. You're probably wondering why I would do something like this—didn't I want her, too? Was I trying to sabotage you, make you sound like an idiot?—so please let me explain._

_ I loved Raven. Truly, I did, and a part of me always will, but I could never love her as truly as you. Love would wind up being too complicated for me. I just want to live on my mountain undisturbed. Not to mention, I think that you'll be able to make her much happier than I ever could. A relationship with only one-way conversations could never last, and writing to her was already getting tiring. She does like you, Beast Boy—whenever she talked about you, she was passionate. It might seem like she hates you, but if she cares enough to put so much energy and passion into talking about you like she does, even when she's annoyed, shows that she really does care for you. _

_And to answer the second question, I would never sabotage you. I promise I didn't say anything to make you sound stupid or like a bad person. I _want _you to be with Raven with all of my heart. The reason I possessed you was because I knew that you wouldn't approach her just because I left. You'd be more afraid of rejection than ever before. I told her not to ay anything until the next morning—this morning—but I can guarantee that she won't reject you. Like I said, Beast Boy, she's passionate about you. Right now she's going to be hurt that I just left without saying goodbye, but she'll soon forget what we had. Not completely, but enough to see how perfect you are for her. She won't reject you—you'll see._

_And about Slade…You're right: I do know things about Slade you don't. At this time, I truly cannot tell you what they are or how I know them, but please believe me when I say you _will _be informed. For now, let me just say that I have known Slade for longer than you might think—longer than any of you have._

_Please, my friend, I hope you don't hate me, but I also would understand your hatred if you did. I just hope that someday you'll see that this was the only way I could figure out to help you, and I promise it will. Take care of Raven and love her as much as I would._

_But, of course, there's no reason for me to even say that. I would trust you with anything or anyone I cared about, and I hope you understand how much I respect you._

_Your friend, always,_

_Jericho_

Beast Boy was shocked. He was furious, outraged—help?! How was this help?!

"Jericho?" called a voice through the halls. Beast Boy looked at the clock—it was only five. Raven was the only one who would be awake now. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Jericho?" Silence. "Jericho? Jericho? _Jericho! Jericho!_" She walked fast through the halls, up the stairs, outside, constantly calling his name. After a long while, Beast Boy heard a knock at his door. Cautiously, he walked over to the door. He was scared to death at what she would do to him, but he might as well just take the beatings and try to explain as soon as possible to get it over with.

"Raven—'' but he stopped before he tried to explain. Raven was wiping off her cheeks, crying quietly and looking shocked.

"Beast Boy, you were right…I should have known he wouldn't stay…" Raven walked up to him and hugged him tightly, her head buried in his chest. Beast Boy hugged her back, and understood why Jericho had done what he did. Beast Boy never would have had the courage to talk to Raven, Jericho was right…Beast Boy had no idea how he could thank Jericho, but he made sure that one day he would.

"Beast Boy, I can't…I can't…be in a relationship with you right now—''

"I know, I know, and that's okay. I don't expect you to just automatically be my girlfriend, don't worry. You can take all of the time in the world. And if you just want to be friends, that's okay, too."

"Beast Boy…I do have feelings for you. I do, I swear, it's just—''

"I know, I know. It's okay." They paused, and Raven backed away from the embrace.

"So…What now?" she asked, sniffling.

"Well, now," said Beast boy, smiling, "I'm going to make us breakfast."

"Tofu eggs?"

"Of course."

"Soy milk?"

"You'd better believe it."

"Sounds…nice," she said, smirking through her remaining tears. Beast Boy grabbed her hand and took her to the kitchen, and on the way he was sure he could faintly hear a guitar being strummed down at the shore.


End file.
